The statistics come from the charity’s Annual Treatment and Support Survey, which has also brought the notes of worry from the established gambling care regulator.

GambleAware concerned of rising gambling harm figures

The organization works with the National Health Service and ministers, with no input from the gambling industry, save donations made to keep the charity running. The UK Charity Commission governs it, the overseer of all registered charities in Britain.

This morning, we published our annual Treatment and Support Survey by YouGov which examines the use of and demand for advice, support, and treatment among people who gamble and those affected by someone else’s gambling in Great Britain

To learn more:https://t.co/HIVlWY3LHL pic.twitter.com/5LIGlqQjNW

— GambleAware (@gambleawaregb) September 11, 2025

The Annual Treatment and Support Survey for 2025 is part of a routine reporting process that examines key metrics in the gambling sector regarding its impact on consumers and their wider social circle.

YouGov, the international reportage and analytics technology group, has helped GambleAware publish this key survey for the past five years.

Kate Gosschalk, YouGov Associate Director, said: “We are pleased to share the findings from the latest annual Treatment and Support Survey, a substantial online survey of around 18,000 people in addition to interviews with those who gamble.”

Key topics and takeaways from the GambeAware survey

The key topics covered include an annual appraisal of gambling advertising, different forms of gambling, and those who have recently started gambling, and the impact that this recreational activity has on their financial, emotional, and well-being situation.

The UK National Lottery is also scrutinized, as is the perception of prize draws and charity lotteries, in addition to online and traditional physical gambling stores.

Treatment is also a key focus of the yearly survey, with GambleAware taking special interest in the usage and demand of treatment and support advice for those who gamble or are impacted by a gambler close to them.

The survey showed that 1 in 3 (30%) adults who gamble and are experiencing any risk of problems are seeking professional treatment, support, or advice, compared to the same metric of 1 in 5 (17%) in 2020.

“While it is encouraging that more people have sought help, this rise may also point to a growing public health crisis. We are increasingly alarmed by how gambling is being normalised and how frequently people—especially young people—are exposed to gambling across Great Britain,” said Zoë Osmond OBE, CEO of GambleAware.

As we reported, GambleAware has launched a new app called the GambleAware Support Tool to help gamblers, primarily young gamblers, find ways to cut down or stop.

We shared our new GambleAware Support Tool with the Lived Experience Council to learn how it could’ve helped them.

Looking to reduce or quit gambling?

Try it today: https://t.co/NsfxyR8rVK pic.twitter.com/rCRSUXFatE

— GambleAware (@gambleawaregb) June 18, 2025

Alexia Clifford, GambleAware’s Chief Communications Officer, said, “Whether individuals want to reduce, manage or stay gamble-free, the GambleAware Support Tool is here every step of your journey.”

Personal impact shown by the report

There has, says the survey, been a 2% jump in figures of those who are in the blast radius of someone with a gambling issue. The percentage equates to 4,3 million UK residents and the report showed that 2 million children could be in a home or personal situation with someone with a gambling issue.

According to the survey, children are also exposed to more mixed media that promotes gambling, with the survey highlighting that those who took part urged for more restrictions on gambling advertising in formats popular with children. 91% of those canvased supported a ban on gambling advertising on TV and in video games, and 90% agreed with a ban on social media.

The golden arches of McDonald’s were also mentioned by the report with the popular McDonald’s Monopoly being seen as an influence on those who could be at risk of harm from gambling.

The figures presented that more than a quarter (27%) of gamblers are estimated to be experiencing risk of developing gambling problems from the influence of prize draws, and around 1 in 9 (11%) are experiencing a form of ‘problem gambling.

Osmond added that there is a requirement for urgent preventative action to reverse the trend in upward figures.

The CEO said, “This must include tougher regulation of gambling advertising to stop gambling being portrayed as ‘harmless fun’. There should also be mandatory health warnings on all gambling ads, stricter controls on digital and social media marketing , and a full ban on gambling promotion in stadiums and sports venues to protect children and young people from harm.”

Featured image: Canva

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The Netherlands Gaming Authority found in its report that the current systems deployed by gambling operators are “not functioning properly” and essentially, falling short of expectations to provide “effective” protections to players.

The ‘Study report on risk analyses of games offered by licensed online gambling operators’, published on Friday (September 5), showed significant concerns were raised by the KSA about the functionality of the risk analysis framework used across the licensed sector.

The measures are an integral part of the duty-of-care obligations established under Dutch law, which all operators are required to meet. In particular, ‘high-risk games’ are supposed to be mitigated with protective actions such as warnings or deposit limits.

With the research conducted across 2024 into the current year, all 28 licensed operators in the Netherlands had their methods assessed and evaluated, resulting in the conclusion that the systems are not working “optimally”, producing inadequate results despite the significant costs and resources incurred.

Moving forward to address risk analysis in the Netherlands

The Kansspelautoriteit stated the measures stem from before the 2021 market liberalization and have not been updated since, showing they are not fit for the purpose of the contemporary market. 

Several concerns were highlighted by the KSA, including Outdated and Inconsistent Methodologies, Category-Level vs Individual Game Analysis, Insufficient Expertise and Independence, and High Costs with Minimal Benefits. 

Under these headings, the respective problems and findings were detailed, with the Dutch body also considering Broader Regulatory and Market Implications.

In response to the report and its content, the Kanspelautoriteit has committed to directly liaising with the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security on proposed reforms to establish a “clearer and more consistent system” for risk analyses. 

This could include mandatory requirements for operators, such as per-game assessments, standardized methodologies, and clearer expertise requirements. 

Although the current approach meets the minimum legal requirements, the reality is much different, falling way short on effective player protections. 

The KSA is known to uphold stringent requirements and expectations, with many recent examples of enforcement against entities that have not been compliant.

One of these was the €450,000 ($524,160) fine meted out to Optdeck Service, the Dutch operator of the prominent Unibet brand, for offering bets on prohibited soccer markets.

Image credit: Kobu Agency/Unsplash

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Minutes from the meeting, released after the typical three-week lag, also showed clear division among the Fed’s 19 policymakers. Some officials expressed support for keeping the central bank’s key rate unchanged, the minutes said. And a majority of the officials said the decision to cut rates was a close call.

Ultimately, the Fed chose to cut its key rate by a quarter-point to about 4.3%. One official, Cleveland Fed President Beth Hammack, dissented in favor of keeping rates unchanged.

The Federal Reserve last month cut its key rate by a quarter-point to about 4.3% in a close-call decision. Chairman Powell, above AFP via Getty Images

Still, there was widespread agreement in the minutes that after reducing rates for three straight meetings, Fed officials felt it was time to undertake a more deliberate approach to their key rate.

Fewer rate cuts will likely mean that borrowing costs for consumers and businesses — including for homes, cars, and credit cards — will remain elevated this year.

Policymakers said that the Fed “was at or near the point at which it would be appropriate to slow the pace of policy easing,” the minutes said. In projections released after the meeting, Fed officials said they expect just two cuts next year, down from an earlier projection of four.

The minutes also showed that “almost all” Fed policymakers see a greater risk than before that inflation could stay higher than they expect, in part because inflation has lingered in several recent readings and because of “the likely effects of potential changes in trade and immigration policy.”

The Fed’s staff economists considered the economy’s future path particularly uncertain at the December meeting, in part because of the incoming Trump administration’s “potential changes to trade, immigration, fiscal, and regulatory policies,” which the staff said are difficult to assess in terms of how they will impact the economy. As a result they included several different scenarios for the economy’s future path in their presentation to policymakers.

Fed officials have started to consider the potential impact of President-elect Trump’s proposals, such as widespread tariffs, on the economy and inflation next year REUTERS

And the staff projected that inflation this year would be about the same as in 2024 because they expected Trump’s proposed tariffs would keep inflation elevated.

Fed officials sent stock markets plummeting Dec. 18 after they reduced their outlook for rate cuts. Fed Chair Jerome Powell said at a news conference after the meeting that the decision to reduce rates had been a “close call.”

Powell also said that recent signs of stubborn inflation have caused many Fed officials to pare back their expectations for rate cuts. Inflation, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, ticked up to 2.4% in November, compared with a year ago, above the Fed’s target. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, it was 2.8%.

Inflation, according to the Fed’s preferred measure, ticked up to 2.4% in November, compared with a year ago, above the Fed’s target. Excluding the volatile food and energy categories, it was 2.8%. AP

In addition, some officials have started to consider the potential impact of President-elect Trump’s proposals, such as widespread tariffs, on the economy and inflation next year, the minutes said.

Economists at Goldman Sachs, for example, have estimated that Trump’s tariff proposals could push inflation by nearly a half-percentage point later this year.

Earlier Wednesday, Fed governor Christopher Waller said that he still supported rate reductions this year, in part because he expects inflation to steadily head down to the Fed’s 2% target. He also said he didn’t expect tariffs would worsen inflation and wouldn’t change his preference for lowering borrowing costs.

Waller also said, in a question and answer session, that he didn’t think Trump would ultimately impose the universal tariffs he promised in the campaign.

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